Spang v. Cleveland Trust Co.

134 N.E.2d 586, 73 Ohio Law. Abs. 164, 1 Ohio Op. 2d 288, 1956 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 345
CourtCuyahoga County Common Pleas Court
DecidedApril 19, 1956
DocketNo. 679783
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 134 N.E.2d 586 (Spang v. Cleveland Trust Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Spang v. Cleveland Trust Co., 134 N.E.2d 586, 73 Ohio Law. Abs. 164, 1 Ohio Op. 2d 288, 1956 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 345 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1956).

Opinion

OPINION

By FULTON, J:

In this will contest case some of the defendants have moved for dismissal on the ground that this Court lacks jurisdiction. It is urged that jurisdiction is wanting for lack of necessary parties. The claimed necessary party is the Attorney General.

The claim for his need as a party is based on §109.25 R. C., which, inter alia, provides:

“The attorney general shall be a necessary party to and shall be served with process or with summons by registered mail in all proceedings, the object of which is:
“(1) To terminate a charitable trust or to distribute its assets to other than charitable donees, or
“(2) To depart from the objects or purposes of a charitable trust as the same are set forth in the instrument creating the trust, including any proceeding for the application of the doctrine of cy pres, or
“(3) To construe the provisions of an instrument with respect to a charitable trust.
“A judgment rendered in such proceedings without service of process upon the attorney general shall be void, unenforceable, and shall be set aside upon the attorney general’s motion seeking such relief.”

The placed emphasis was on (1) namely that the' object of the will contest proceedings is to terminate a charitable trust and to distribute its assets to other than charitable donees.

It is doubtful whether it was the intention of the legislature to make this section of the statute applicable to will contest cases. However, the meaning of this section is not to be discerned from the believed intention of the legislature but from the intent revealed by its language.

Helpful to the ascertainment of the meaning of this section (§109.25 R. C.) will be a consideration of another section in the same chapter, namely, §109.23 R. C. The latter section defines charitable trusts to which §109.25 R. C., is applicable and describes those excluded from its application.

That section (§109.23 R. C.) inter alia, provides:

“There are excluded from this definition and from the operation of such sections, trusts until such time as the charitable, religious or educational purpose expressed in such trust becomes vested in use or enjoyment.”

[166]*166A hearing on this motion consisted of evidence, statements and arguments of counsel.

The will in evidence provided for the payment of debts. The residue was bequeathed and devised to the Pearl Street Savings & Trust Company, predecessor in name to the Cleveland Trust Company with which it merged. The bequest and devise was in trust for specific uses and purposes. These were to pay to each of two cousins, Belle Walker and Jessie Fleharty, $25.00 per month, or $50.00 monthly to the survivor of them. Jessie Fleharty predeceased the testatrix. It then provided that the trustee should maintain and support the father of the testatrix “during the term of his natural life and for his proper interrment.” The father has passed away. Next this will provided that upon the contingency of the death of the father of the testatrix and “after making provision for the bequest hereinbefore to my said cousins” one fourth of the income should be paid to the Rainbow Hospital, another one fourth to the Eliza Jennings Home of Cleveland. The remaining half, the will provided, should be known as “the John F. Fleharty Fund” and “be used by my trustee as a revolving loan Fund for the education of young people.”

The important phrases prescribed by §109.25 R. C. are “all proceedings,” “object” and “charitable trusts.”

The term “all proceedings” is indeed all embracive. It includes all proceedings known to our law. It includes to be sure, a will contest case. The purpose of such contest (§2741.04 R. C.) is to ascertain whether a given paper writing is the last will of a certain decedent. That statute provides that in a will contest action “an issue must be made up, either by pleadings or an order on the journal, whether or not the writing produced is the last will and or codicil of the testator, which issue shall be tried by a jury.”

The petition herein, by its prayer, sought exactly that determination. It named all necessary parties unless the Attorney General becomes one of “the other interested persons” (§2741.02 R. C.) if the will in a contest case (proceeding) creates a charitable trust as defined in §109.23 R. C.

Is a defined charitable trust (§109.23 R. C.) created by the instant will? Vigorous arguments pro and con were made. If a charitable trust was created did that trust vest upon death of testatrix in use or enjoyment? Equally vigorous arguments pro and con were presented. What effect does vestment have? What kind of vestment is intended by §109.23 R. C.?

The trust created by the will appears — using everyday parlance — to be charitable in part. That appearance is reasonably clear as to the Rainbow Hospital and the Eliza Jennings home. It is doubtful as to the educational fund; and it is not charitable with respect to the cousins or the father.

As to the apparent charitable portions, does that definition of a charitable trust in §109.23 R. C. apply? Excluded from the operation of §109.25 R. C. (Attorney General necessary party section) are those for charitable, religious and educational purposes, unless and until the purposes of “such trust becomes vested in use or enjoyment.”

The trust created by the paper writing here presented is charitable [167]*167within the definition of §109.23 R. C. if it has become vested not only in title but also only if their expressed purposes become vested “in use or enjoyment.”

The law favors early vesting of estates. See National Bank v. Boone, 139 Oh St 351.

“Syl. 2. The law favors the vesting of estates at the earliest possible moment and a remainder after a life estate vests in the remainderman at the death of the testator, in the absence of a clearly expressed intention to postpone the vesting to some future time.

“Syl. 4. Where a testator wills a part of his estate to another, directing that she shall receive therefrom a stipulated sum annually for and during her natural life and further provides that after her death the unconsumed portion shall be paid to “my heirs, share and share alike,” the remainder in such portion of the estate as may be unconsumed by the life beneficiary vests at the testator’s death in such person or persons as then answer the description of testator’s heirs under the statute of descent and ■ distribution in force at such time, unless a contrary design on the part of the testator is plainly apparent.”

Under the foregoing rule the survivorship of John F. Fleharty may not have postponed title vestment if the paper writing is the last will and testament (what about vestment “in use or enjoyment”)? Moreover the law will not permit a trust to fail for want of trustee. Francis v. Anthony, 46 Oh Ap 121; 40 O. Jur. 202, Section 58. See also §2109.26 R. C., on the subject of Filling a Trustee Vacancy. As recently as March 7th, 1956, the Supreme Court of Ohio in the case of In re: Evans, 165 Oh St 27, restated the proposition that “a will ordinarily speaks as of the death of the testator.”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
134 N.E.2d 586, 73 Ohio Law. Abs. 164, 1 Ohio Op. 2d 288, 1956 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 345, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/spang-v-cleveland-trust-co-ohctcomplcuyaho-1956.